


Learning Anew

by TheSleepyGriffin



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Eventual mild davekat, Highschool AU, M/M, Slow Burn, Teacher AU, Teenage Karkat, Theyre history teachers, in progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:15:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24729574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSleepyGriffin/pseuds/TheSleepyGriffin
Summary: Signless is a single father, a history teacher, and living with his mother. He refuses to move on from the death of his wife that happened over a decade and a half ago, but when theres a new teacher at the school, things start to take a turn he wasn't prepared for.
Relationships: Orphaner Dualscar/The Signless | The Sufferer
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. Repeating Cycles

Laughter. Bright lights. Screeching tires. A thud. Screams. Sobs.

Eyes snap open. Signless felt his breath catch in his throat and he sat up, the pull out bed beneath him creaking. He wiped at his eyes with a sigh. Just a dream. Just another dream...

He picked up his phone, glancing at the glowing screen. He still had an hour before his alarm was going to go off but...he knew that he wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep. He rolled out of bed and stretched, joints giving varied, soft, cracks as he did so. Ah the joys of reaching middle age. 

A yawn passed his lips as he delicately made his way down the hall, wary of being quiet not to wake his son or mother who were still fast asleep. Avoid the board to the left, about three steps ahead, it creaks. Open the bathroom door, quickly, it creaks too much if you don’t, then close it behind you.

The sound of the shower fills the room, followed by steam building up behind the curtains while the water warmed. As Signless waited for the promise of a warm shower the man glanced himself over in the mirror. He’d need a shave, over this last summer he had let his beard get a little too untamed. Thick brown curls with hints of silver made this evident.

He stripped, his sleep clothes delicately hitting the floor, where they would be retrieved from later. His eyes wandered again, back to the mirror, as he took in his body. His beard wasn’t the only thing that he had let go during the warm months. He wasn’t in terrible shape, compared to some, but where he had once had a firm stomach, some pudge was starting to show, as well as that, toned muscles on his arms had begun to lose their definition. 

There was a small twinge in his mind, telling him that maybe he should start going to the gym again. It had been a while. And then a tired wave at the thought crashed over him. Maybe next year. 

Enough gawking though. A cup of warm coffee and a homemade muffin were waiting for him in the kitchen once he was cleaned up. He stepped into the shower, shoulders relaxing as the warm water loosened the waves in his hair. He took a brief moment to bask in the feeling of calm, eyelashes fluttering shut as pellets of warm water pattered onto his chest and face. 

It was a feeling of nothingness. No care. No worry. No thoughts. Just...almost like floating. He could fall asleep like this. There was silence. His mind wandered. Laughter. Bright lights. Screeching tires. A thud. Screams. Sobs.

Chestnut eyes snap open, pupils constrict for a brief moment before adapting to the fogginess of the yellow bathroom lighting once more. 

He needed to get washing up before he used too much warm water. 

Shampoo. Conditioner. Body wash. Change to cold water. Rinse off. 

The pattering of the water stops, the curtain opens and the cold air rushes to envelop Signless’ body. With a shiver he grabbed a towel and dried off. 

Signless retrieved his boxers from where he had discarded them and slipped them back on, the fabric clinging to his still damp thighs. His sleep shirt was folded and set next to the sink, to be put on after a shave. He fetched his razor and his shaving cream, then set to work on his beard. Delicate. He’d hate to knick his skin right before his first day back to school. 

The razor’s blades glided his soft jaw, removing thick patches of hair with wariness, making sure not to cause any cuts.

Water flowed into the sink basin not too long later, washing away the discarded hairs down and away. Teeth were then brushed, hair was combed, product was lazily applied, and a loose shirt was pulled back over his torso, hairs catching briefly, trying to hold onto the fabric.

The light was turned off again and Signless left the bathroom, a headache starting to grow. Coffee, he needed caffeine. Avoid the board to the right, about five steps ahead. Was he so desperate for the drink he was imagining the smell now? His mouth watered as he turned the corner out of the hall. 

Light came from the kitchen, a figure leaned against a counter, staring in silence at a photo from years ago, while sipping at a cup of fresh coffee.

“Mom.” The first words of the day croaked from Signless’ throat before he cleared it, “...Did I wake you?”

The older woman’s gaze left the photo and landed on her son, a warm smile coming from her, “You’re fine dear. I just know how you get the morning before going back. Here, I made you a cup.” She set her own mug of coffee down and offered a fresh steaming one to him.

Something about the smell just tugged at Signless, as if a siren calling him into the sea. He took the cup from his mother's lithe hands, then greedily drank the hot liquid down. He relaxed with a sigh, briefly, staring at the brown drink before looking at his mother again, “Still, you didn’t need to get up, I would have been alright.” 

Signless crossed the kitchen, taking a muffin from a tupperware container before closing it again and taking a bite, indulging in the wonderful flavors of his mother’s cooking. He had never been a good cook. He had always wanted to be somewhat decent like her. He had even taken a few classes but...when often posed with the choice to cook at home or order out, he tended to go with the latter. Which he supposed could be a good explanation for his figure as well.

There was silence, he could feel her gaze settle on him, as if wanting to ask something but unsure how to phrase it.

A sigh from her lips finally broke the silent spell,“I worry about you dear-”

“I’m alright mom.”

There was a shake of Dolorosa’s head, “I know but…” she sighed, “What are you going to do when Karkat goes to college? When he moves out? When I pass-”

“Mom.”

“I'm serious Silas. Who’s going to keep you company?” She looked at the photo again, a young couple smiled back from it, holding a baby in tow, “I miss her too. But it's been over a decade and a half now Silas...I just want to see you happy.”

“I have my students. I am happy. I don’t..” he sighed, glancing at the photo before looking at the gold band on his finger, “Destine was everything to me…” his voice came out almost like a whisper, almost afraid to speak her name, “There isn’t a day where I don’t think about her. Where I don’t think about how...how I walked away with only a few scratches and she…” 

He stopped as Dolorosa’s hands clasped around his. Their eyes met and she sighed, “This isn’t what she’d want for you, we both know that. You can only hold onto the past for so long Silas…”

Signless’ eyes squeezed shut as he retracted his hands, and he sighed, finishing his coffee quickly within a few gulps, “I need to get dressed.” He left the kitchen, leaving his mother to watch as he departed, a frown tugging at her lips, but she said nothing more. 

He went to the pullout where he had been sleeping not too long ago and pulled out a suitcase from underneath and opened it, pulling out his clothing for the day, then folded it over his arm. He felt bad, ending a conversation like that so abruptly with his mother but it was a subject that she was aware he wasn’t comfortable about talking about…

Making the journey down the hall to the bathroom once more, he continued to think. How could anyone replace Destine? No one could even come close to being anything like her. Her laugh, her smile, those sparkling green eyes, the way she scrunched up her nose when thinking she was just-- the floor beneath his foot gave a creak, pulling him briefly from his train of thought. 

His gaze lingered on his son’s door for a moment, as if it would swing open with just the mere sound of the board creaking. Of course that didn’t happen though. He stood for a moment before he continued, into the bathroom, closing the door behind yet again. He didn’t have a room of his own, which was fine, he made do with the bathroom usually for privacy. 

Besides he couldn’t find a new partner if he even wanted to. What about Karkat? He wouldn’t take it well he was sure. He couldn’t put more stress on him than he was already under. He shook his head, starting to change, shucking off clothes and replacing them with more work appropriate ones.

Karkat was his whole life. He wanted him to succeed, to be happy. He was in his senior year now, preparing for college, he couldn’t do something so selfish and ruin that for him. Hands buttoned up the front of his shirt and he paused, checking the time. He still had a few more minutes before he had to be out the door.

Signless knelt down, scooping up his sleep clothes and exited the bathroom, going to the end of the hall to the basement door, then descended down into the concrete space, putting his clothes into the washing machine, as well as a basket of clothing Karkat had left. He looked over the laundry, checking the pockets as he went through. Karkat had always had a bad habit of not emptying his hoodies and pants before tossing them onto the pile. He paused, eyes glancing over a binder. How long had he had this one now…? He really ought to buy Karkat some new ones. For the new school year and all. That reminded him, he couldn’t forget to get Karkat’s testosterone from the pharmacy before coming home. He’d forgotten the last time. Karkat made sure to let him know that before leaving the house to pick it up himself. 

Soap in. Close the washer. Check the time. He pursed his lips. He had to get going, lots to prepare today for the new year. Maybe his mother was still out in the kitchen, maybe he could make some kind of amends with her before leaving. 

Up the stairs. Avoid the creaky board. Go into the living room to get his shoes. He looked to the kitchen, the light was off now, and there was no sign of his mother. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest as he sat down to tie his shoes. 

He couldn’t let it weigh down on him all day though. He had so many things to do today. No distractions. He wanted the best for his students and a messy mind from him wasn’t going to help them. He’d get to the school, back to his classroom, and everything would be fine. 

He pocketed his phone, grabbed his keys, and made his way out the door, into his car. He turned the radio on as he pulled out, making his way onto the cracked pavement of the street. It was a rough start to the day, but it’d be okay once he got to the school. Nothing would be able to knock him off course.


	2. Awkward Meetings and Coffee

By the time Signless had reached the school the clock on his radio read 8:50 am in dim neon green light. At the moment the parking lot was fairly barren, maybe five or six cars at most around. It would pick up later though, he was sure. A meeting had been planned for noon, that all staff were required to attend, he could find the time to catch up with old coworkers then.

He pulled into a staff reserved spot, just outside of the high school’s main entrance and shifted his car into park, the brakes giving a small squeak as he did so. He really ought to have his vehicle looked at again. When he had more money maybe. 

Signless switched off the vehicle, then proceeded to pull his keys out of the ignition which clinked against the metal crab keychain he had attached. He paused for a moment, holding the chain in his hand, a thumb rubbing over the metal crab. The red paint had almost completely worn off now, and it was a little banged up. That didn’t matter to him though. It had been a gift from Karkat when he was younger, he couldn’t throw away something like that. It was too sentimental to him. 

The sound of a school bell racked him out of his daze. Ah, right, they had to program the bell schedule ahead of time. He pocketed his key and got out of the vehicle, closing the door and locking it after he had fetched his messenger bag from the passenger seat. He then proceeded to head inside of the school, the large, empty foyer greeting him. 

Floors had been polished. Walls had been decorated. Flyers were placed around. Everything was almost ready. He sighed and turned, making his way up the east stairway to the history wing. 

The school was organized into two floors; science and arts on the first floor, along with the cafeteria, gym, and theater. While on the second floor; history, electives, and math. It was larger than the middle class school Signless had grown up with, that was for sure. His school had maybe about two hundred students at most, while Crocker high was almost three times that size.

He made his way down the hall of the history wing, second to last classroom, then paused, brows furrowing as he observed the classroom next door to him. Nitram had moved with his wife out of the city. The new nameplate next to the door read Mr.Ampora. Hm. Never heard of him. Well, he supposed he would meet him later at the staff meeting. 

Proceeding into his own room he glanced around and sighed with content. He always put a lot of effort in his class, doing his best to display cultures from all around the world, with various flags, trinkets, and such things to show representation. It was something important to him. Culture. It was just fascinating. 

Signless hung his bag on a hook behind his desk and began to unpack. He had gone so far with his cultural interests that he had even ended up taking over leadership for the school’s civil rights team. He had been leading it for almost three years now, but truly, he left most of the work to his students. It was always wonderful to see students learning new things about the world around them, and then taking action to help and educate others. Though...a second helping hand managing it all would be helpful, especially with how the group was getting larger every year. 

He tapped some papers into a neat stack and set them aside on his desk, glancing at the clock. He shouldn’t get more coffee so soon...but it would help him through the day. Plus he could possibly reconnect with some of his old coworkers in the staff room. He pursed his lips and glanced around the room once again. He basically had everything ready. Sure. He could do with a cup of coffee. He also could kill two birds with one stone and put up flyers for the civil rights team. Sure.

Flyers and tape in hand he made his way back into the hallway and headed to the staff room on the other side of the floor, posting papers onto the walls once and a while as he did so. He walked leisurely, taking in other flyers and posters until he heard a voice. Makara. Up ahead. Shit. That was one coworker he did not want to talk to. 

He swiftly rounded the corner into the staff room before being seen by the other...and then he ran into something. No not something, someone. He stumbled back and glanced up, an unfamiliar face looking down at him. No not him. His shirt. Fuck. He spilled coffee on him. 

“Ooooh...oh shit I am so, so sorry.” he rushed to grab a stack of napkins, “Here I- oh I am so sorry.” He grabbed the coffee cup, stumbling over his words. This must be Mr.Ampora. Off to a fantastic first meeting. 

The man rose a brow, with a mildly amused look on his face. Signless paused once the other placed a hand on his shoulder,”Calm down lad, it's not a big deal.” he took the napkins and knelt down, cleaning up the spilled coffee on the floor,”Will say though, it’d be wise of ya t’ not rush int’a a room without lookin’ first.”

“Right- god. Uhm, Mr.Ampora...I presume? I’m Silas Vantas, my classroom is next door to yours…” 

Ampora looked up at him again and Signless stepped back, bumping into the counter behind him. He wasn’t one to judge a book by it’s cover but he would be a liar if he said the other’s face wasn’t intimidating.

“Silas, aye? Ye can call me Cyruss.” He stood once more, crossing the room to toss the damp napkins in the trash, looking over his now stained shirt with a sigh,”Ought t’ change now I spose.” 

Signless bit his bottom lip. The other’s face was well...two large scars cut across it, one tracing over his left eye, causing it to be blind and milky looking. Yeesh…He wondered what could cause such an injury “Again I am...so sorry. Please, let me make it up to you, I can pay for your dry cleaning.”

“Not necessary, thank ya though lad.” he tossed the empty cup into the bin,”Wasn’t very good coffee either anyway, machine’s broken, an’ I got more shirts at home. One in m’ car even.” Dualscar turned to leave the room, which Signless quickly followed him out.

“There’s nothing I could do?” He looked up at the taller man as they descended the stairs back into the foyer.

“Nope.” Dualscar’s gaze kept ahead, focused on the main doors,”Again, don’t worry yerself about it lad. Accidents happen.”

Signless’ steps slowed briefly, causing the man to get a further ahead, with strides longer than his own. The other probably thought he was a ignorant dick. Ugh. He watched as the other left the main doors before chasing him down again to his car, where he was already changing shirts.

“Surely there’s something I can do...you said the coffee wasn’t good? Why don’t you let me buy you a new one.”

There was a pause, and then Dualscar turned to him, torso still bare, fit body on display to the other. Unintentionally, Signless felt his cheeks warm as his eyes briefly glanced over the other’s tattooed arm sleeves and scarred body. He swallowed dryly, eyes darting back to the other’s face.

“...A coffee would be nice.”

A sigh of relief escaped Signless, which he wasn’t even aware he had been holding in, “Thank you, how uhm...how do you take it?”

“Like m’ hair.” 

Signless blinked.

“Black. I...that was a joke.”

“Oh,” Signless forced a laugh,”Alright, one black coffee, I can do that...er...alright I’ll find you in your classroom I presume?”

Dualscar gave a silent nod as he tugged on a new shirt, stubble making a brief noise against the fabric as it was pulled over his head He then added a suit jacket over his shirt, making his appearance a tad more professional. 

There was silence. He should probably go now. His eyes lingered over the inside of the car. Was that...a liquor bottle under the passenger seat? Before he could get a better look, the door of the car closed, and his gaze shot up,”I’ll...see you in a bit then.” 

Signless then turned on his heel, quickly striding away to his car to go fetch coffee for the other. He fished the keys from his pocket and turned the car on once more, the radio rudely blaring as he did so, which he quickly turned the dial down for. Ugh. That was so...stupid, and embaressing. He pulled out of the parking spot and sighed, thinking as he drove.

Mr.Ampora...now that he was thinking about it maybe he had heard the name before...but where? His vehicle lurched as he came to a stop light, and he glanced at his keychain briefly. Karkat. He looked up again at the road. Karkat’s new soccer coach. Awe fuck. 

The light turned green and he drove once more, shaking his head. How was he so stupid? He got into the line at a local coffee spot, drumming his fingers as he waited. Heh. Black. Like his hair. He laughed a bit. It was...a terrible joke. Somehow charming though. 

Upon reaching the order spot, he asked for the coffee, as well as one for himself. Then...fuck it, a chocolate doughnut, because you can’t go wrong there, a jelly filled one for himself, honeyglazed for mom, and boston creme for Karkat. He figured it’d be a nice surprise when he got home. He pulled forward, pulling his card from his wallet and paid.

As he left the drive through he glanced down once more at the analogue clock on his radio. 10:15. Yeah that seemed right. He pressed his tongue against his cheek, double checking, then triple checking before pulling into the traffic, then drove along in silence.

He spaced briefly, as he drove down a long stretch of road, eyes lingering. The intersection where it happened.

Laughter. Bright lights. Screeching tires. A thud. Screams. Sobs.

When he looked up again he slammed on the brakes, which gave an angry squeal. He sighed shakily, the front end of his car closer than comfortable to the bumper of the vehicle in front of him. He caught his breath, shaking it off, waiting for the lights to turn again before moving on, back to the school.

He parked. Turned off the car. Then headed inside, taking the doughnuts and coffee along with him. 

Ascend the stairs. Turn into the history wing. Third to last door on the left. 

He poked his head in, looking to Dualscar’s desk where the man himself sat, glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose as he was looking at something on his phone with an irritated expression. His gaze shot up however, when Signless knocked on the doorframe.

“Ah, lad, ‘s just you.” Dualscar set his phone aside, demeanor quickly shifting,”Come in then.”

Signless set the coffee down, along with a paper bag, “Here you are. Again...sorry about that.”

“And again, nothin’ to worry about. What’s this?” The other man gestured to the paper bag on his desk.

“Oh, a doughnut, chocolate. I got one for myself, my mother, and my son so...I figured I could get one for you too.”

“I see. Can’t go wrong with chocolate I s’pose. Thank ya.” He opened the bag and paused before grabbing the doughnut, “None for yer spouse?” his gaze focused on the ring on Signless’ finger

“I- oh, no. No spouse. Not anymore anyway…” Signless fiddled with the ring

“Ah, I see. Divorce is a bitch.” He bit into the doughnut.

“She died.” Signless corrected. It was silent for a long moment before Signless felt the need to speak again,”It’s okay it...it was a long time ago. Car accident.”

“I see…’M sorry then.” 

“It’s alright…”

Silence again. 

Signless puffed his cheeks, awkward tension filling the space,”I’ll...give you time to adjust, I’ll...just be next door if you need anything. Uhm...nice meeting you. See you at the staff meeting, I guess.” He slowly made his way out of the room, giving finger guns as he left the room.

Why did he do that? He picked it up from his students...fuck that was stupid. 

He could hear a soft chuckle come from Dualscar’s room and he felt his cheeks color with flustered embarrassment.


	3. Friendship is Hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay! My laptop broke the night I posted the last chapter and was in the shop for a while!

Laughter. Bright lights. Screeching tires. A thud. Screams. Sobs.

An alarm woke Signless and he groaned, rolling over to grab his phone to make the blaring sound stop. It was too early. Yesterday had taken so much out of him, family frustrations, failed social interactions...and a staff meeting that had dragged on for way too long. 

He had to get up though. Karkat never woke up easily, and he knew as much of a shit fit his son would throw over being woken up, Karkat would prefer to ride to school with him rather than having to ride on the bus. 

Getting up, he grabbed his phone and pocketed it before trudging his way down the hallway. He then proceeded to knock on the door to Karkat's room, being greeted with a noise that could only be described as a feral like sound. 

Signless rubbed the sleep from his eyes and let out a heavy sigh,”You know the drill. You get up now, you ride to the school with me, or you sleep in, and you have to ride the bus.” 

With that he abandoned the bedroom door to grab his clothes for the day from the living room. Karkat always managed to take longer in the bathroom than him so he had to make sure to get in there before his son did. 

Brush teeth. Put on deodorant. Get dressed. Leave to go to the kitchen to grab a muffin and coffee. 

He leaned against the counter, sipping at his coffee as he listened to Karkat drag himself out of his room, across the hall, and into the bathroom to get ready. Always the dramatic. He checked the time, “Five minutes Karkat, then we gotta be out the door please.” 

That was a lie. Ten minutes. But if he didn’t light a fire under his ass he knew that the ten minutes would more so be twenty. He rubbed his temple as an unintelligible noise came from the bathroom. 

A yawn passed his lips and he shook it off as his eyes watered. He blinked away his faint tears and looked to the photo his mother had been focused on the previous morning. Him and Destine. They had scheduled that photo shoot not long after Karkat was born. He frowned.

What would things be like if you were here, his mind wondered…

How would Karkat be? Would they actually be in their own house? What would- 

His train of thought was interrupted as Karkat made his way into the kitchen, opened the cupboard and pulled out a poptart.

“Wouldn’t you prefer a muffin your grandmother made…?” 

Karkat shot a tired glare at his father as he tore open the pop tart packaging with his teeth. Signless puffed his cheeks, making note of the bags under his son’s eyes, but decided it better to not say anything. 

There was silence in the kitchen as Karkat gobbled down the toaster pastry and Signless finished off his coffee. Without a word they finished up their breakfasts and proceeded out the door, into the car and away from the house. 

“Soooo…” Signless made an attempt at starting a conversation. 

Karkat grumbled softly,”Who the fuck is Mr.Ampora? I’ve never heard of him.”

Signless blinked, glancing at Karkat before looking back to the road, his brows furrowed,”He’s a new teacher, he’s in Santos’ old classroom. Why?"

“He’s the new soccer coach I guess. I just don't want some old geezer coaching us." Karkat shrugged while his father rolled his eyes,”Speaking of, I have practice tonight so, yknow, we’re done at five.”

“Alright. I guess I can...find something to do for a few hours. Do you already have your gear?”

“Duh.” 

“Alright.” Signless smacked his lips as the conversation died. He turned on the radio, the two of them riding to the school in silence. As soon as he parked, Signless didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to Karkat before he was out of the car and headed inside.

He sat there for a moment, thinking. Well, he could pick up take out for dinner then...again. Ugh. His mind flickered back to the previous day and his...experience with Cyruss. He flushed. He couldn't be that old right? He...well he was rather fit. He found himself zoning out as flashes from the prior day came to him, but he quickly shook it off. No, no he needed to get to his classroom.

Signless got out of his car, making his way into the school with his things, pausing briefly to poke his head into Dualscar’s classroom. The lights were off and it was empty. Guess he wasn't here yet. He really wanted to form a better work relationship with him, especially if their classes were right next to the other. No matter though. He had to prepare for his first class. New students today. New teaching opportunities. 

The first couple classes went by without a hitch. Ice breakers were fine, if anything slightly awkward per usual.

Then came his third class, there was a knock at his door, interrupting him as he discussed the guideline of the class for the semester. Who could that be?

The door swung open and the class’ attention was taken straight to the figure on the other side.

“Oh, Mr.Ampora, is everything alright?”

“Aye, was just wonderin' if ya had some spare markers for th white board? Mine are dryin' up.” 

Oh. Alright then. “Of course.” Signless picked up several markers and smirked a little bit to himself, turning to face the other teacher,”Catch.”

Dualscar’s brows raised a bit, and he watched as the other tossed one marker after another at him, catching all of them. 

Signless’ class gave some laughs, accompanied by some hoots and claps. Dualscar seemed a little taken off guard for a moment before glancing at Signless with a smirk, which confused him.

And then Dualscar gave a pair of finger guns, then left. 

The Vantas’ cheeks colored, the embarrassment from yesterday coming back to him. He cleared his throat, quickly composing himself. That was- okay then. That seemed like good progress toward being friends? 

He gathered his student’s attention again, trying to ignore too much of what had happened. He could talk to Cyruss again about it later. 

And that later came sooner than he had expected. After his class it was his lunch, and when he left his classroom and locked up to go eat, he looked to his left to see Dualscar doing the same as well.

“Headed to lunch…?” Signless gave a slight smile.

Dualscar looked over, seeming to jump a bit in surprise at the sound of the other teacher's voice,”Oh, aye, are ya?”

Signless nodded,”So I’m guessing we have the same lunch break then, thats nice…” he hesitated,”Listen, about yesterday-”

“Say no more lad, ya worry too much, it really 's fine, water under th' bridge.” Dualscar gave a half smile, which he quickly dropped,”Let's head t' th' staff room aye?”

“Sure. Sure I'd like that.” Signless offered another smile as the two of them proceeded to head toward the breakroom,”So, you're the new soccer coach?” 

Dualscar rose a brow, making his way through the doorway into the room, heading for the fridge,”Aye, you into sports or somethin?” He retrieved a paper bag containing his food. 

“Sort of, my son more specifically he’s-” 

“Karkat Vantas.” Dualscar sat down and opened the bag,”Aye, I’ve heard good things about how he plays...very, aggressive? Which I found surprising.”

“Surprising? How so?”

“Well, just you bein' his father, I don't see ya bein' th' very aggressive type or anythin'.”

“No, no not really.” he laughed a little bit,”My mother tends to say that he gets it from my wife...” He smiled, opening his drink eyes lingering over his wedding band as he did so.

Dualscar nodded,”So I’ll be seein ya at practices an' games then? It’ll be nice t' have someone I know t' talk to durin' breaks.”

“Sure, I’d like that...so do you have any kids?”

Dualscar's attitude visibly shifted, from a interested and relaxed manner into something that seemed more tense,”Aye, I do...I have a son but uh, he’s mainly with m ex, I only get him on th' weekends an' he’s, well, truthfully not very enthusiastic about spendin' time with me.”

“Oh,” Signless cleared his throat,”I'm sorry about that...” he sipped at his drink, moving to sit next to Dualscar,”Well I’m always someone to talk to if you want.” 

“Thats uh,” Dualscar seemed to flush just a little,”Real sweet of ya, but 'm alright really, aint got much family t start with so I don't get phased easily.”

“Really? Oh, you should come over and have dinner with us sometime, it’d be nice to have you as company.” Signless offered a warm grin.

“Again, thats sweet lad but uh, I wouldn’t want t' intrude on yer family, besides, it might be a lil odd for Karkat to have his coach over?”

“Oh not at all, we used to have Santos over all the time. It was quite nice really.”

“Santos..?” Dualscar rose a brow

“Yeah, the teacher that was in your room before you...do you know him?”

Dualscar quickly shook his head,”I- no, no 's fine.” His attention shifted to eating in silence.

Okay then. Awkward once again. Signless ate his food in silence, rubbing his brow. Maybe he came on a little too hard. It just was nice to have the thought of having a new friend.

Maybe he was doubting himself too much again though, Rosa did often tell him he tended to do that. 

The rest of their lunch was rather uneventful, just sitting in silence and eating, then going back to their classrooms.

As time went by Signless watched the clock. Classes were done, and now he just had to wait for Karkat to get out of practice. Around four he abandoned the idea of hiding from Dualscar in his classroom for the whole time and began to make his way down to the practice field, hands shoved into his pockets. 

As he moved onto the bleachers he spotted Karkat, swiftly moving down the field toward the goal. He smiled as he watched his son. There was just something about sports that made Karkat’s true self shine. A leader, a passionate team player. That was the Karkat Signless liked to see. 

There was a blow of a whistle shortly after Karkat scored a goal, and Signless watched as Dualscar called for a water break. Maybe he could talk to Karkat. 

He made his way to the bleachers where Karkat sat, pounding down water,”Hey kiddo, hows practice going?”

Karkat finished drinking and caught his breath,”Fine. What are we getting for dinner?” 

“Chinese.”

“Sweet.” Karkat continued to drink and sighed,”Fuck.” He stared at his now empty water bottle, then looked to a pack with Dualscar,”Dad could you..?”

“Yeah sure. How’s Cyruss seem though?”

“Good. Cool. Water?”

“Of course, of course, I'm on it.” Signless made his way over,”Hey...just getting water for Karkat.”

Dualscar looked over to Signless,”Oh, hey good t' see ya. Good. Th' kid plays well, real impressive stuff.” 

“Glad to hear it. I'll just be..watching.”

“Sure thin'.”

Signless returned to Karkat and traded off the water without a word. Not too long after a whistle blew and the team was back on the field. Signless settled in, watching them play. At the last half hour he watched as Dualscar huddled them up.

“Alright lads, last half hour, how about we have some fun? All of ya, against me. Strategize. Be smart.”

Karkat laughed,”Oh this is gonna be a cake walk.”

The rest of the practice went on quite amusingly, despite the team's original expectations, Dualscar did put up quite the challenge. And then they tackled him. Pig pile style. Signless was pretty sure that's not how you play soccer.

But they all seemed to be laughing and enjoying themselves. Good. This was something that Karkat needed. 

His gaze lingered onto Dualscar's laughing face. He smiled. It was nice to see the guy smiling without a care...maybe they could become friends, he just needed to be patient. Get over this...weird roller coaster of awkward moments and good ones.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feed back is always appreciated and always helps inspire me to continue writing! Hopefully more to come in the future!
> 
> (Also ty sm macksartblock for proof reading <3)


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